Alaska troopers the basis of TV series

ANCHORAGE - A new five-part television series featuring the Alaska State Troopers will begin airing this week.

The series, titled "Alaska State Troopers," starts Wednesday on the National Geographic Channel.

Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said the series allows viewers to see the unique work of the agency. Film crews for 10 months followed both police and wildlife officers as they battle crime from the Kenai Peninsula to Nome on the western coast.

The first episode, titled "Ice Patrol," in part documents how 13 troopers kept control of 10,000 attendees at the 2009 Arctic Man Ski and Sno-Go Class - which the channel calls Alaska's version of Mardi Gras.

Other episodes are titled "Crime on the Kenai," "Alaska Justice," "Alaska State Troopers: The Wild West" and "Drug Bust."